The Art Board and 1170 Nuuanu Avenue - First Friday On The Court

Description/Comments

The Art Board and 1170 Nuuanu Avenue Presents:

Chinatown Bon Odori - August 3rd First Friday

The Art Board and the Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai, with the support of The ARTS at Marks Garage, will stage a “Bon Odori” or Bon Dance in the Smith-Beretania Park, located between Pauahi and Beretania Streets and bordering Smith Street, as part of the August 3rd, First Friday.

This Bon Dance is an event that we believe falls within your vision to “stimulate the growth of the culture and the arts in downtown Honolulu, in combination with the revitalization of nearby Chinatown.”

The months of June, July and August are, for Japanese and Okinawan Buddhist, Bon Dance season. The “Bon Dance” or “Bon Odori” originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of Shakyamuni, who saw a vision of his deceased mother in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts where she was indulging in her own selfishness. With this disturbing vision in his mind, Mokuren went to the Buddha and asked how he could free his mother from this realm. Buddha answered, "On July 15, have a big feast for the past seven generations of dead." Mokuren did this and saw his mother's release. This made him see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. Happy, because of his mother's release, and grateful, for his mother's kindness; he danced and danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or Bon Dance, a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated with dance.

Our Bon Odori is meant to takes you back to an era when Japanese were prominent occupants of an area in Honolulu referred to as Japantown. We are turning back time to when summer meant festivals, lantern parades and Bon Dance in the heart of Honolulu.

Our Bon Dance will be performed by the Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai from 6:15 P.M. to 7:45 P.M. on August 3, 2007 in the Smith-Beretania Park.

We would like to invite you to attend, participate in and enjoy our “Bon Odori”. We are hoping other Bon Dance Clubs on Oahu attend our “Odori” so that this festival of remembrance is a dance of joy, in a part of Honolulu referred to as Japantown. If our vision meets our optimism; it is our goal to have a Bon Odori in downtown Honolulu every year, in a truly festive atmosphere in Chinatown. We hope to make this and future Bon Dances a major celebration and remembrance of our ancestors for the public and tourist to enjoy.

We are hoping that you support us and see our vision of this Bon Odori in our effort to perpetuate the culture and the arts and stimulate growth and revitalization of Chinatown.

"First Friday on the Court" is a, "MUST ATTEND" place where the thousands of residents and tourist that attend "First Friday" can find local arts and crafts, entertainment, jewelry, food, art, art and more art!! Open to close entertainment by the multi-talented Fort Street Mall Band. Compliments of The Art Board!!

Join us for complimentary refreshments Look for surprise appearances by recognized Hawaii artist and entertainers. The Art Board invites you to enjoy our "First Friday on the Court"

For more informationor stall reservation call Moto Eguchi at The Art Board (536-0121)

The Art Board (Moto Eguchi)
1170 Nuuanu Ave. Suite 104
Honolulu, HI 96817
808.536.0121

Back | Current Calendar
Archive Calendar

FirstFridayHawaii.com cannot guarantee the accuracy of any calendar event listing. Please use the contact info to verify the event date and time. FirstFridayHawaii.com maintains Event Calendar for your personal entertainment, information, education, and communication. Except as noted, there is no affiliation between the FirstFridayHawaii.com and any of the listed events, event organizers, or event sponsors. FirstFridayHawaii.com assumes no responsibility for any aspect of the calendar events. FirstFridayHawaii.com has not reviewed all of the sites linked from the Event Calendar and is not responsible for the contents of any off-site pages or any other sites linked to the Site. Your linking to any other off-site pages or other sites is at your own risk.